"You know, I got 16 grandkids and counting," he said, "and we're going to have enough accommodation to meet the needs of the grandkids."

This was the first time Romney has addressed the home expansion since the news broke Saturday. He was asked if he's "concerned that the planned expansion of [his] La Jolla home sends the wrong message to struggling Americans?"

In addition to the La Jolla home, Romney also has "an 11-acre estate valued at more than $10 million on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee" in New Hampshire, AP wrote in 2007.